


An Exclusive Club

by Sadaralo



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-14
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-02-08 21:16:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1956423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadaralo/pseuds/Sadaralo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enduring yet another promotion ceremony that doesn't include any females admitted to the ranks of starship captains, Sadara Lochlan and fellow female Commanders decide to stand apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Based on dialogue from TOS episode Turnabout Intruder.**

 

On the dimly lit balcony, elevated from the proceedings below them at the same time subjugated once again by the same, a small group of female Starfleet officers had gathered.  Their presence, segregated from their fellow officers attending the promotion ceremonies, was deliberate and intended to repeat a message year after year at this specific gathering, though their efforts to break their glass ceiling they were pinned under was an ongoing, ceaseless effort.

 

The first year of observing from the balcony initially held no such message.  Commander Sadara Lochlan had simply been disgusted, yet again, that no females were welcomed into the ranks of starship captains and wanted as far away from the ceremonies as possible without getting her ass into a sling with her superiors.  Her heart sank to know that her good friend, Margaret Sinclair had been passed over for a well deserved promotion to the captaincy.  Commander Sinclair, who had every qualification for starship command, except what appeared to be the most important and desirable one; being of male gender for her species.

 

Commander Lochlan had been joined by her best friend, Commander Kathleen Bradley and Margaret Sinclair as well as other female Commanders around Starfleet in quiet camaraderie upstairs.  They had recognized the reason for her ire and felt similarly.  All had been first or second officers of a starship at some point in their careers.  A few, like Commander Sinclair, still were.

 

The first year, they had observed the promotion ceremonies in polite, respectful silence, but as soon as the gathering was dismissed, they broke out into quiet chatter, unaware that one Admiral James T. Kirk had been eavesdropping quietly from around a corner.  Normally, he would never even have considered such a violation of privacy, but he had noticed the little gathering up above and recognized that they were all female Commanders who had maxed out on their promotion opportunities unless something was done.  As an Admiral, his rank might unintentionally clam the women up if he were to talk to them face to face.  As much as the charismatic hero of Starfleet disliked this passive aggressive approach to information gathering, he was itching to hear what the women had to say in all their openness and honesty.  Captain Spock had joined the Admiral a few moments later and the Vulcan/Human hybrid had simply raised a curious eyebrow as Kirk put a finger to his lips.

 

“Well… on a positive note, we can count Andorian males among starship captains now,” quipped Dellis Shos.  She was an energetic Andorian female who had been the first officer of the Melbourne for going on five years now.  The other women craned their necks to look at her curiously, unsure if that was sarcasm they detected in her voice.

 

Commander Sinclair regarded her blue skinned compatriot seriously.  “This must be especially frustrating for you given that the genders are treated more equally in your culture.”

 

“Sometimes,” Shos said quietly, pensively.  “But I knew some barriers still needed to be broken here when I signed up.  No organization is perfect.  Not even Starfleet.  Little by little, year by year, the captain’s club is seeing more diversity.  We just have to keep fighting for it.”

 

“And it’s not even about the big chair on a starship really,” Sadara Lochlan pointed out, learning on the balcony wall.  “That’s part of it, but look at me?  I can’t even get captain’s bars in a ground assignment.  I have time in grade.  I meet the qualifications to step into the section commander slot, but when Captain Patil accepted the Admiralty, the powers that be plugged in a, you guessed it… man to fill the vacancy.  And guess who had to train him?  You know, because I’ve been with the section so long and could teach him the ropes.”

 

Despite themselves, the other three snickered at the unbridled sarcasm tingeing the longtime counselor’s voice.  Commander Sinclair shook her head in disbelief.

 

“We all heard what Captain Wyle did to you after the Vulcan/Orion trade run dispute.  I think every woman in Starfleet was nauseated after hearing about that,” she said, her voice soft, but firm.

 

Commander Shos leaned forward, resting her elbows on the almost chest high wall and craned her head to glimpse Sadara around Sinclair.  She brushed her gleaming white hair back behind an ear.  “I heard the general story, but not too much in the way of details.  It was kept pretty hush hush among the captains and admirals in the fleet so we got mostly rumors I think.”

 

“I can’t even begin to tell you how shocked I am by that, Dellis,” Sadara’s tone ever more sarcastic as she tugged on the high white color of her uniform.  She hated the stiff “monster maroons” and felt like she was suffocating in them a hundred percent of the time.  At least the miniskirts of the previous decades allowed for ease of movement.

 

“I was second officer of the Essex at the time,” the Vulcan/Human hybrid continued.  “We’d responded to a distress call from a Vulcan vessel who had been attacked without provocation by a ship of Orion smugglers.  By the time we arrived, two more Orion ships were joining the festivities.  We lost both Captain Chang and Commander Ford in the final moments of the slugfest.  Fortunately, a couple more good shots destroyed the remaining Orion ships.  And by fortunately, I mean that simply disabled would have meant a time race to see who could get up and running again first.  By no means did I want any more loss of life, but the truth is I was relieved that we could immediately turn our attention to our own dead and wounded and damaged vessels.  The Essex was practically derelict at that point and many sections weren’t even habitable until life support could be restored to those areas.”

 

Letting out a deep breath, Sadara decided to cut to the chase and get to the part they wanted to hear about.

 

“Long story short, the first responding vessel was the Potomac.  I got Captain Wyle on screen and he seemed very taken aback that I was sitting in the command chair and not Captain Chang, which I understood completely.  I would imagine as a starship captain, the last thing you want is to respond to something like that and discover that one of your classmates and fellow captains was killed in action.  But then he turned to his first officer, right in front of both bridge crews and ordered him to beam over to the Essex and assume command.  I was incensed because I realized it was being done because “women aren’t left in command of starships” and I reminded him that by regulations I was technically in command of the Essex at that point.  Of course he shoved his rank down my throat.  So here I am wanting to fight him on this point because what he was doing was unfair, but at the same time with so many wounded and the ship derelict, it would have been selfish and unprofessional of me to waste precious time arguing over principles, oppression, and regulations.”

 

Rubbing at her temples, Sadara looked up at the ceiling and blinked back tears.  “Deep down I know I did what was necessary for the wellbeing of my crew and the crew of the Vulcan ship, but I still feel guilty and ashamed for relinquishing the center seat without more of a fight.  I can’t help but feel that I’m part of the reason we’re all sitting up here still hoping instead of out there doing.  Though technically, it should have been a battlefield commission, I’m not listed as ever having been captain of the Essex.”

 

Shos smiled gently.  “You did the right thing.  You did what a captain should do; put the crew first.  Captain Wyle should never have put you in that position.”

 

“You know what I don’t understand?” Commander Bradley wondered aloud in her thick Irish accent.  “What is it about women that Starfleet brass doesn’t think is suitable for starship command?”

 

“PMS?”

 

“Physical strength?”

 

“We’re shorter and smaller so not enough physical presence?”

 

“They think men won’t take orders from women?”

 

“Who knows?”  Sinclair mumbled.

 

“You know what?” Sadara said, obviously pondering a spur of the moment idea.  “We should do this every year a new set of captains are commissioned…  Sit up here and leave our accomplishments for the year on a datapad.  All those accomplishments that further the careers of the men above us, but never our own.  And leave the datapad here where someone can find it.  Who knows?  Maybe they’ll read it and pass it on.”

 

That made Sinclair grin, her bright smile a stark, but brilliant contrast to her dark skin.  “I like that.  And if one of us finally makes it, we have to keep it a secret until the rest are all up here.  We should all have hope as we enter this building that one year we’ll climb these steps to the balcony and one of us will be missing because she’ll be sitting down there pinning on captain’s bars instead of up here still hoping.”

 

“And we keep coming up here each year until each one of us makes it,” Bradley chimed in excitedly.

 

“And open it up to new members,” Shos nodded.  “We won’t be the last female Commanders looking for a promotion, I’m sure.”

 

“Well, no time like that present,” Sadara said as she handed her spare datapadd over to Sinclair.  “And afterwards, we’ll take our newly minted club out to the karaoke bar for drinks.  It may not be the captain’s club, but at least we have each other and that makes it less lonely around here.”

 

Remaining hidden until the women filed out several minutes later, Kirk retrieved the datapad left sitting on the balcony wall.  That morning he had anticipated some light reading of the fictional novel variety, but the accomplishments of a group of female officers would make for even more enlightening reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Sadara Lochlan arrived at her apartment about 2000 hours and was surprised to find Admiral Kirk and their teenage daughter engrossed in a game of chess.  Knowing that Kirk had Madeline for the weekend, she had taken Shos, Sinclair, and Bradley up on their desire to go out for dinner and drinks.  They had found themselves at a fantastic Italian restaurant that served up a wide variety of what Sadara considered comfort foods.  The lack of women being promoted to captain certainly warranted comfort food as far as the Vulcan/Human hybrid was concerned and fettuccine alfredo topped the list of her favorite foods.

 

Her slanted eyebrows lifted in curiosity as she laid her datapad and communicator down on the little table next to the front door.  With her stellar Vulcan memory, it wasn’t really necessary for her to have such a table for the things that needed to go with her to work and back, but it was a habit her human father had always had and somehow she’d incorporated it into her own daily routines.

 

“What are you two still doing here?” She asked, wondering if something was wrong.  “I thought you and Maddy were going up to your cabin for the weekend for some fresh air?”

 

Madeline shrugged as Jim Kirk moved another chess piece.  His face brightened with amusement as his daughter grumbled about it being like taking candy from a baby and pondered her next move.

 

“Dad just said he needed to talk to you about something.  Hopefully about you two getting back together, but probably about work like it always is.  Dad and I can finish our game later if you need me to go do something else for a while?”

Kirk and Sadara exchanged guilty looks as their only child decided on a move that was probably futile given her father’s skill level at chess.  The intrepid former starship captain never went easy on his little girl, claiming it would help her improve.  Madeline had made no secret over the years that she hoped her parents would get back together even though she had no memory of a time they ever were.  They had gone their separate ways before she was even born, but had remained close friends.  It was an arrangement the girl couldn’t quite wrap her head around.  If they liked each other enough to remain good friends, why was remaining a couple such a challenge?  She supposed she was too young to understand.

 

Kirk made the final move, clinching the game in his favor and grinned triumphantly, but with all the charm that made sure Madeline knew he wasn’t rubbing it in.

 

“Great job, kiddo.  You’re definitely improving.  Almost gave me a run for my money there,” he said, patting her shoulder.

 

“Thanks, dad.  I’m gonna go take a shower then since you two are going to be chatting for a while,” Madeline said, pulling her long, sandy blonde hair out of its loose bun.  She gave her mother a quick hug and then disappeared down the hall to grab her nightgown from her room before padding into the bathroom, the door gently clicking closed behind her.

 

Sadara waited until she heard the shower turn on and then turned back to Kirk. 

 

“She’s growing up on us,” Kirk remarked with a tinge of regret.  It seemed like the older he got, the faster the time flew by.  He glanced up at Sadara, his memory flickering back to the joyful spring day Madeline was born.

 

Catching the wistful look in Kirk’s hazel eyes, Sadara cocked her head and the corners of her full lips turned up slightly.

 

“Jim?”  She asked, curious.

 

“Just remembering how beautiful you were holding Maddy for the first time,” he smiled sincerely.

 

Scoffing in disbelief, Sadara shook her head and gave her ex a playful swat on the shoulder.  “I’m sure I looked like something the cat dragged in.”

 

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” he teased to which Sadara shook her head again, amused, but flattered all the same.

 

“So… you wished to talk to me about something?”  She shrugged out of the stiff, suffocating maroon uniform jacket and draped it over a chair back. 

 

“I did.”  Kirk held up the datapad that Sadara and her cohorts had abandoned in the auditorium earlier that day.

 

Sadara’s eyebrow lifted in surprise, her expression one of innocence as she wandered into the kitchen to fetch them both something to drink.  “The things I leave lying around…”

 

“I heard, Sadara.”  His tone was final, resolute; and Sadara knew immediately to what he was referring.  He watched Sadara carefully, curious about her reaction to having been eavesdropped on.  He was disappointed as her expression remained neutral as she poured a couple of tall glasses of cranberry juice and gently set one of them down on the table in front of Kirk.

 

Sadara shrugged as she lowered herself into the chair that Madeline had vacated a few minutes ago, the glass of juice cradled in her hands.  “And?”

 

“And I shouldn’t have.  It was improper and inappropriate and a violation of your privacy.  I just couldn’t tear myself away.  Not this time.  Not when it was an opportunity to hear you all speaking your minds without admiral’s bars holding your tongue.”

 

Another shrug.  “I don’t know that I’d consider it a violation of privacy.  We were speaking in a public place.  We knew there was a possibility we could have been overheard.”

 

Silence reigned for a long moment.  In the background was the sound of the shower being turned on down the hall and their daughter’s words of longing for her parents to get back together also hung between them.  Two motions for change; one that Sadara wanted and one that their teenage daughter wanted and Admiral James Tiberius Kirk wasn’t certain he had the authority to make either of their dreams happen yet.

 

“I want women to be able to captain starships, Sadara.  You know I do,” Kirk’s intense eyes blazed with energy and honesty.  “There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to.”

 

“But you’re low man on the totem poll in the admiralty,” Sadara finished for him.

 

“Yes,” he groused.  “Most of the time I feel I had more impact as a starship captain.” 

 

He reached out and snared her hand, gripping it gently, but firmly.  “I’m not giving up.  You, Shos, Sinclair… you all deserve to be promoted to captain.  I’ll find a way to convince my superiors, Sadara.  *We’ll* find a way.  I promise you.”

 

Sadara smiled.  Jim Kirk was a man of action.  He may not have the answer now, but he was like a dog with a bone when he pursued something.  There was no doubt in her mind they’d find a way to break the glass ceiling.

 

“And what of Madeline’s hopes?  Can’t let your daughter down now either.”

 

“I can’t fix that without you,” he said, giving her his most charming smile.


End file.
